After Graduation
by SEJ95
Summary: What happened after the gang graduated? What happened to Emma? What will happen now that the moon pool is destroyed? So many unanswered question, so read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hey guys, this is my first story...so yeah.. anyway, hope you enjoy it :)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 1**

A week after graduation everyone was relaxing over at Cleo's house. Except for Rikki and Bella, this also included Will and Lewis. Cleo was over the moon (no pun intended) that her boyfriend was back, and not just for a short visit either. Turns out that they had offered him to transfer back to Australia within the same program, and was starting at the institute of biology in Melbourn later this year. This gave him the chance to spend the whole summer with his friends. Lewis had heard all about what had happened while he was gone and he had apologised over and over again that he hadn't been there for them. Cleo had to assure him multiple times that it was fine and that it wasn't his fault.

They had only been back at the moon pool once since the incident, they had mainly gone there to clean up a bit and to examine the damage, to see if it was safe to go there at all. What they had found was that the rock surrounding the pool was severely damage from the explosion, according to Lewis the structure was reasonably stable, but there was a chance it could collapse. Therefore they would have to be cautious if they wanted to be there. Cleaning up proved to be quite difficult. There were pieces of rock everywhere. Furthermore the moon pool seemed kind of lifeless, it might have been because of the mess, but it seemed to have lost its magic. They didn't get the same vibe anymore, and thus didn't enjoy spending much time there anymore. For now they were just spending time with each other and relaxing after an eventful year.

Whatever happened to Emma, you may wonder. Well as far as they knew she was still traveling the world with her family. They had kind of lost touch quickly because she didn't always have cellphone connection and because of the major time differences. To that all the past events can be added, so they didn't exactly have time to give her much thought. As for Ash, he now lived somewhere in the middle of nowhere with his aunt. So they hadn't seen him either.

That evening Bella went for a swim by herself. Both Cleo and Rikki and even Will had offered to go with her, but she had declined. She needed some time on her own after she had been with the others for what felt like 3 days straight. She was just enjoying swimming in the calm water when suddenly a figure raced past her a couple of meters away. Bella was quite stunned. It had seemed to come out of nowhere. When she had calmed a bit she realized it must have been a mermaid. It was the only fishlike creature that could travel at such speed, and it definitely had a tail. Now that she thought about it, she remember seeing something blond. Could it have been Rikki who had decided to join her? Then it hit her, whoever it was was heading straight for Mako Island. She made a quick decision to follow the mystery mermaid. It would answer her questions. At the speed only mermaids can travel, she headed for Mako.

When she neared the opening she slowed down. She carefully entered through the underwater entrance and kept as still as possible. As she had suspected, the other mermaid was indeed there. She definitely had long blond hair and the bright orange tail like herself and the other mermaids she knew, but this most certainly was not one of them. It was not Rikki.

She thought about what she could do. She could make herself known and find out where the new mermaid came from. She could go back and get the girls to help, or she could just do nothing and leave. She decided to go with the last option. It seemed the safest. The mermaid could be dangerouse and evil and threaten their whole existence as far as she knew. So she left as quietly and swiftly as she had come.

Bella's spying had not gone as unnoticed as she had thought. The mermaid had been fully aware of her presence. Maybe it was that she had almost always been around people for the last year that had caused her to be more alert. Bella or 'the new mermaid' concerned her though. After past experiences she knew they were nothing but trouble. Where had she come from, who was she? Did her friends know about her? Or worse, had their powers been taken and was she next? She knew she was probably overreacting as usual, but she had good reason to worry. The moon pool was a disaster and was clear evidence that something powerful had happened there, and she assumed the worst. However, there was still some time till she could find out more, she was only there for a short visit.


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who added this story to favourites or alert! it really means a lot for this being my first story :) a review would be nice though ;) anyway, here is the second chapter, enjoy it!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 2**

The following day Bella was thinking about what she had seen the previous night. The light had been dim, so she hadn't been able to see the face properly, but she was pretty sure it was no one she knew. She had refrained from telling Rikki and Cleo because with everything that had happened recently they could do without any drama for a while, especially since Cleo and Lewis had just recently been reunited and she didn't want to ruin their happiness. She thought was weird that for almost 8 years she was the only mermaid she knew, she hadnt even been sure there even existed others, and then in less than a year she had found three of them. She could have used them when she was young. It was difficult being a mermaid on her own when you are that young. She did wonder though, were there any others? If there were four here at the gold coast, it wouldn't surprise her if there were more, although here was the first time she found them, while she has lived all over the world.

Somewhere along the coast of Australia another girl was sitting at a beach by herself too. She was thinking of the mermaid she had seen the previous night at Mako. She had gone there in hope to find her friends. She had no other way of contacting them since her phone got stolen when they were in Rome and she lost all her contacts. Being the organized person that she is, she had them written down in a note book, but it so happened that she had decided not to pack it. In addition they had barely any internet connection throughout their whole trip. She was dying to know what had happened with her friends, maybe they knew more about this mermaid. It was frustrating to be so close and yet so far from them. The last part of their trip was through their home country, so they would be home within a week or so. She had decided to try again at Mako that night. She would be careful incase the other mermaid would be there too. It would be her last chance before going inland for a few day before finally heading home. Not to get her wrong, she had loved seeing the world, but she just wanted life to return to normal, well as normal as it gets when you are a high school graduate and a mermaid.

The other mermaid had been correct, Bella did indeed plan on returning to the sea that night, just to make sure. She wanted to find out more about this mermaid. So as the evening came, Lewis and Cleo went out on a date while Rikki had decided to spend some time with her dad for a change. That left Bella with Will to get rid of. That problem solved itself when his sister called and told him she needed him 'urgently'. Now it was almost the same time as the previous night, so after she was sure no one was looking, she dove into the waves.

When she arrived at the cave she entered slowly like the previous night, and sure enough, there she was. For a little while Bella observed the mermaid. She was surprised when she suddenly spoke. "Come out, I know you're there." Bella realized she had been caught and swam up to the blonde. "How did you know I was there? You didn't even turn around?" "I don't know, I just felt like i was being watched, and I did see you from the corner of my eye yesterday." the mermaid said. Bella wasn't sure how to respond.

They floated in silence for a little while until Bella decided to speak. "My name is Bella" she simply stated. "Emma" the other responded. "When did you become a mermaid?" Emma asked. "When I was 9, it was in Ireland. What about you?" " I became a mermaid here, a few years back…" Both wondered if the other knew Cleo and Rikki, but neither dared to ask because of the risk of maybe exposing their secret. The two girls continued to make some smalltalk without revealing too much about themselves. A while later Emma realized that she would have to leave so she would make it back in time to at least get some sleep. The girls said their goodbyes and went home. As they were laying in bed trying to sleep they thought about their meeting. Neither of them thought the other was evil anymore, and actually liked each other. Emma thought Bella reminded her of both Rikki and Cleo in some way. They both hoped to see the other again soon.

Bella knew she wouldn't see Emma for a little while at least. She had said so herself. She had also said she would be back within a week or so and that they should meet up then. Still neither of them had mentioned the other two mermaids they knew, and Bella had decided to not tell them about Emma until she knew more, she didn't seem like a threat, so it should be fine.


	3. Chapter 3

_Authors Note: this chapter is really short...but dont worry, i'll post another one in a minute..i just did it to make the story easier to follow, enjoy :)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 2**

The next week or so passed mostly like the previouse week except that Cleo had to work at Sealife a few times and Bella still performed at the cafe with Nate and the rest of the band. Bella had offered to quit when Rikki and Zane had broken up, but Rikki wouldn't let her. She knew Bella needed the money, and even though she hated Zane for the time being, she didn't want the cafe to go under, which it definitely would if they lost their entertainment.

Meanwhile Emma was backpacking somewhere in the middle of nowhere, it was tiring, but she didn't mind much as she liked a challenge, and the thought that she would see her friends soon kept her motivated.


	4. Chapter 4

_Authors Note: Here is the longer chapter I told you about :) Hope you like it!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 4**

A few days later Emma walked around in search of her friends. She decided to start at the JuiceNet cafe as that was their usual hangout. When she entered the cafe she was surprised, it looked completely different than she remembed. The enterior design seemed to have had a total makeover, and she didn't recognize any of the people who worked there. "They must have new owners" she thought as she ordered a smoothie at the bar. She looked around the cafe and came to the conclusion that her friend definitely were not there, so she settled down at a table near the stage, another new feature, where a band was setting up to play. She had to laugh when she saw one of the band members was Nate, since when did he have any musical talent, and who would be crazy enough to hire him? She really hoped he wouldn't be singing, she had heard him before, and it definitely wouldn't be pleasant. Just as she was fearing the worst a girl took the stage. Emma did not recognize her, she must be new. When she started singing Emma was impressed, that girl was really good! She decided to stay and listen to a couple of more songs.

Emma had been thinking about her past year and her friends while enjoying the live music. She had been so deep in thought that she didn't notice that the music had ended and the lead singer was now comming towards her. "Emma? Is that you?". This brought her back to reality, she turned around expecting Cleo, Rikki or someone else she knew from here. Instead she saw the lead singer. At first she was confused, but then she recognized the petite blond girl, without the tail of course. "Bella!" she burst out in recognition. Both found it strange to see the other without a tail, as this was the first time they saw the other walking on two legs. Bella joined Emma at her table and ordered a smoothie too. The two girls sat there talking about a lot of things like old friends when in reality this was just the third time they had met. Both felt they could trust the other enough to share their other secret they had been keeping. "I have something I should tell you" Emma said. "Actually so do I " Bella responded. "Okay you go first" "No you go, you started" "Fine, we say it at the same time! Deal?" At this Bella nodded "Deal!" "1…2…3 you aren't the only other mermaid I know" they said at the same time. They just looked at each other in surprise, was it possible that they were talking about the same two mermaids? Emma wanted to find out, so she asked her what their names were. "I guess I shouldn't actually tell you as they don't know about you and they would probably be against it, especially Rikki since she thinks the worst of everyone" "Wait!" Emma interrupted "Did you just say Rikki? Is she one of the mermaids you were talking about?" "Oh shoot, I said too much! Rikki is going to kill me!" Emma had to laugh, this did indeed sound like the Rikki she knew. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the other mermaid you know is called Cleo" Bella was astonished, "Yes! How on earth did you know that?" Then the entire truth of Emma's past and her connection came out. Emma also received a sort of summary of what had happened since she left. The two were amazed that they hadn't found out about one another till now. Granted, Emma had lost her phone around the same time as Bella had come into the picture, but that didn't explain why Bella had never heard of Emma. Cleo and Rikki had told her about some events from the past, but they had never mentioned a third person being involved. They decided to go back and discuss things further at Emma's house, she felt she should keep her homecoming a secret for a little while longer and for that to happen they had to make sure they didn't meet anyone who might know her. Therefore staying at the cafe a was a danger as it was a popular hangout for people their age.

Their conclusion was that maybe their friends had either found it unimportant, or they had wanted to initially protect Emma and later just forgot about it. It kind of hurt, thinking that your friends 'forgot' about you, especially when you share such a special bond.

They thought they should have some fun with them for this though, so they immediately started thinking of ideas to get them back.

They had a few options; to pretend that they did not know eachother, and when they were told about the mermaidism, they would get mad at them for not telling, they could pretend they got jealous of each other, they could confuse Rikki and Cleo and pretend that they somehow knew each other from before, and lastly they could just go along with whatever happened. This was bound to get interesting. They exchanged numbers and Bella went home. Through the night they continued to text, they finally decide which plan they were going to go with. Both girls couldn't wait for the next day, so they could give their friends a taste of their own medicine.


	5. Chapter 5

_authors Note: Thanks to the people that have reviewed my story so far! it means a lot :) Here is the next chapter! Enjoy :)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 4**

The next day Bella kept Emma updated on where Cleo and Rikki would be that day, so it would be easier for her to find them.

It was midmorning, and Bella was on the beach relaxing with Cleo and Rikki. From the corner of her eye she saw Emma. Just then Cleo and Rikki decided they needed a drink, and Bella told them to get something for her and she would stay and watch their things.

"Perfect timing!" Bella said as Emma came out from her hiding spot and joined Bella on the beach. The two blondes went over the plan and their backstory one more time before falling into casual conversation about everything and anything.

When Rikki and Cleo returned to the beach they noticed Bella was not alone. She was laughing and talking with another blonde girl who had her back towards them. The duo was confused, they had never heard of any other friends of Bella, and knew she didn't know any of the other kids from school that well. They decided to go and find out.

Bella had seen their faces and she made Emma aware of what was happening. Now the fun part was starting. ""Hey Rikki, Cleo, there is someone I want you to meet!" She called and waved to her friends as they approached her. As they reached her, the mysteries blond turned to face them. They were surprised to see that the girl was someone they knew very well, very well indeed. "Girls, I want you to meet my good friend Emma Gilbert!" Bella continued while the two girls could just stare. " Oh my god! Emma is that really you? Are you back! I have missed you so much!" Cleo exclaimed as she hugged the tall blond. She was happy to have her best friend back after not having seen her for a year. After Rikki had given Emma a hug too, a lot more controlled than Cleo, it was Bella's turn to look confused "Wait a minute!? Do you guys know each other?" Of course she was just pretending, but the other two did not know that. "Yes we do, she is my best friend, we have known each other since we were little!" Cleo explained. " Wait a minute! Didnt you just introduce her to us as a friend?" Rikki suddenly realized. Now Emma spoke up. "I have known Bella for years, we met when we were 11 or something and we kept contact since, but how do you guys know Bella?". Things were becoming awkward very fast. Emma and Bella had to stifle a few laughs as they watched their friends reactions.

Cleo and Rikki looked at their 2 friends, and then at each other. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. Their two best friends, who were supposed to not know about one another's existence were apparently already friends for a long time, without them knowing. But then again, how were they meant to know since they didn't know they all knew each other. Then they felt a little bad. Never telling Bella about the other mermaid.

Suddenly another thought hit them. Did they know about each others secret? There was only one was to find out.

"Hey Bella?" Rikki started, " does she know about you know..." She continued nodding in Emma's direction.

"Of course she does! Thats how we first met!" Bella replied, keeping their act up.

"How did you guys first meet?" Cleo enquired.

This time it was Emma who spoke up. "Cleo, remember like 6 years ago when i went to Indonesia for a holiday?"

Cleo nodded, she did remember, she had missed her best friends terribly as Lewis had been in Sydney visiting relatives during that same period of time.

"We met when we were both swimming in the sea" Bella continued. That was the story they had agreed on because it was true that Emma had been there then, and Bella had moved all over the world, so it wasn't like it wasn't believable.

Rikki and Cleo still weren't sure about what to make of it. Then they turned Emma, "Does Bella know that you are now...you know?" Rikki asked. They were speaking in code for two reasons. First of all they were on a public beach, so someone could overhear, and secondly they didn't want to give anything away.

"Not yet, i was about too when you guys came" Emma said.

"Tell me what?!" Bella interrupted pretending that she didn't know what was going on.

"I'm a mermaid too now" Emma whispered just loud enough for the 3 girls to hear. "No way! That is so cool! So i guess you already knew about Cleo and Rikki?" Bella exclaimed. "Yeah, we changed together actually" Emma explained. This was where things became interesting. Bella turned towards her two friends and looked at them questioning. "How come you guys did not tell me there was another mermaid involved? How come you guys never even mentioned her in the past 10 months that i have known you?!" "Eh...um…i guess we just kind of forgot to tell you with everything going on...?" They tried to explain, failing miserably. "What!? I leave and you guys forget about me? What kind of friends are? I thought we had a special bond?" Both Emma and Bella stood in front of their friends with their arms crossed and a hurt look on their faces. They had to struggle not to laugh when they saw how uncomfortable Rikki and Cleo looked. Soon they couldn't hold it any longer and a smile broke out on their faces. This confused the other two even further. After laughing for a good five minutes, Emma and Bella decided they had tortured their friends enough and proceeded to explain everything.

Rikki and Cleo were not happy with what they had done, but also kind of understood why. They felt bad for not telling Bella about Emma, and the other way around, even though that wasn't entirely their fault.


	6. Chapter 6

_Authors note: Here is another pretty short chapter, sorry about that :( but its because it makes the story easier to follow, and the next part will be pretty long! I'll be uploading that later today or tomorrow..anyway, enjoy this little chapter first! :)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 6**

They decided to go for a swim, for the first time the four mermaids together. Once at Mako, Cleo called Lewis and told him to meet the there. She didn't tell him about Emma, who wanted to surprise him too. After all, they had known each other for a long long time too.

The four girls were just hanging around the moon pool when they heard noise coming from the tunnel. The knew it had to be Lewis, Emma dove underwater and hid behind a rock so she could surprise him. Soon enough Lewis came through the entrance, followed by Will. No surprise there, the two boys had become really close over the past few weeks.

Both of them greeted their respective girlfriend with a kiss and said hi to the other two. Once they had settled down Emma suddenly resurfaced, surprising them. For Lewis it took a minute to realize who it was, but once he did he went over to her and gave her a hug. Will just couldn't believe that there was yet ANOTHER mermaid, and was confused at how they all seemed to know her. Luckily Bella noticed and introduced them. Then the girls proceeded to tell the boys about the events that had occurred earlier that day, and they all had a laugh about it.

They all continued to hang out for most of the time if they were not working or had other things to do like family duty. Emma told them about all her adventures she had encountered on her trip across the globe, about how difficult it was to make an excuse to not be able to wash herself when they were staying at places with only a shower, and about all the times she had almost been caught. But she also told them how beautiful all the places were and about the interesting people she had met. In return the others told her a more detailed story of what had been happening at Gold Coast. They wondered why there had been no tentacle attacking her, but figured it must have been because she was too far away.


	7. Chapter 7

_Authors Note: Alright so i said that there was a pretty big part coming up, but i decided to split it into smaller parts...i hope you guys don't hate me for it...the reason i split them up is so it wouldn't be too long, and also, this way i'm building up the tension! Oh, please the authors note at the end too! Enjoy the chapter_

**After Graduation: Chapter 6**

Soon it was time for the full moon again. The girls were unsure what would happen, since this was the first full moon since the comet. Therefore they decided to lock themselves in at Emma's house for a sleepover. The boys did not join them, but called them regularly to do checkups. They were prepared for action if necessary, both staying at Wills boathouse for the night.

Finally they had complete privacy, Elliot was staying at a friends house, and her parents were out meeting some old friends and wouldn't be back until late.

After making sure they were locked in properly and stocked up on snacks and movies, they each snuggled up in their sleeping bags.

After a couple of hours of watching movies they were just chatting about girls stuff. They talked about their boyfriends, and Emma told them she was back in contact with Ash and that he would be back soon. They were exited to hear that.

All this talk about love and boys made Rikki feel a little left out. She missed Zane, but she wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even herself. Not to get her wrong, she loved being single and not having someone constantly watching over her, but she still wasn't really over him. Just then Lewis called Cleo.

After a short conversation she hung up and turned to the other 3 with a shocked expression. "He said to go to Mako as soon as possible, apparently there is something happening there Then he just hung up. It sounded urgent!" She said this while starting to get up. Emma, who had alway been the careful one of the group, spoke up. "But what about the full moon? What if we get moonstruck?" "Emma, think about it? When was the last time any of us were moonstruck? And besides, Lewis is a smart guy, he would have thought about it before ordering us to go to Mako on a full moon!" Rikki said. "I guess, but I still don't think it's a good idea.…"

In the end they decided to go, it seemed pretty safe, and they wanted to find out what was going on. Besides, they were a little worried about the boys after Lewis phone call.

_Authors Note: Sorry to bother you again, but i need some feedback from my readers, do you want me to have Rikki be with Zane, or should i introduce a new guy, or should i just have her not have a boyfriend at all? what do you guys think? For now just leave your answer in the review section...or should i create a poll for it? oh well i'll see...sorry to bother you with all the questions :( Hope you enjoyed the chapter though_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I am really stressed out for school work at the moment, but lucky for you, i have a part of this story already pre-written, so i can update you with at least a few more chapters before i need to write again. Thanks Guest for answering my question in the last chapter(and everyone else who also reviewed), that was exactly what i was thinking :) but should it be Zane or a new guy? i would like more opinions on this please :) Well here it the next chapter, enjoy it!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 8**

The four girls made their way to Will's boathouse, trying to avoid looking at the moon. When they got there they were met by two startled boys. They told the girls what they had seen. There had apparently been some kind of big light out at Mako, a lot bigger and brighter than anything they had ever seen before. They were kind of worried about what was going on. After they heard that, the girls gave one another a quick look and dove into the sea. They raced towards Mako but upon nearing the entrance of the cave they stopped and went up for air. They discussed whether it was safe to go in through the underwater cave, or if it would be better to dry off and go through the land opening. As Emma and Rikki were arguing about the pros and cons, the other two just rolled their eyes and sighted. Suddenly their eyes went wide in shock. Rikki and Emma stopped arguing and looked questioning at their friends. All Bella and Cleo could do was point behind them and stare. They slowly turned around and looked at the island behind. The sight they were met with was something they had never expected. The whole sky was lit up like it was midday, but it wasn't caused by the sun. The light was a white almost silver light. The source was difficult to identify as the light was so bright. It came from some spot between the sky and Mako Island. The mermaids were frozen on the spot for a few moments before they came into action. They abonded the plan to go over land, and headed to the moonpool. Once they entered the cave the were amazed. The whole cave was bathing in the light the had seen from outside, and the rocks looked like they were of pure silver. Suddenly the water around them stared moving faster and faster like a whirlpool. The water lifted itself out of the pool and swept over the walls in the cave. The mermaids were stuck in the middle of the whirlpool, helpless. The tried to use their powers, but they seemed unable to gain any control over it.

After what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a few minutes the water slowed down and returned to the moon pool. The girls had had their eyes closed, but now the were slowly starting to open them. They were afraid of what they would find. Bella was the first who dared to look around. At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The moon pool looked just like it always had. The bright light was gone, and the only source of light was the faint moonlight somewhere one the sky the came in through the hole in the top. The water was completely still, apart from the movement made by the girls, and not a sound could be heard. She was wandering what had happened while the other girls slowly started to become aware of their surroundings again. It was Rikki who was the one who noticed what had actually happened. Her sudden shout startled the other three. "Look! Look!" She shouted pointing around the cave. "Everything is back to the way it was before! ". It took a while for them to process it, but they realized that the wild mermaid was right. The moon pool was completely restored. There was not a sign of the damaged made by the explosion. It looked exactly like they had always known it, except for that time there was water flowing right out of the rock. The magic was back. They could feel it.


	9. Chapter 9

_Authors Note: here is another chapter for you to enjoy, there are a bunch of time skips, but i decided not to post them as separate chapters as they then would be EXTREMELY short as you can see when you read it..the chapter itself isnt very long either, but the next one or the one after will probably be quite a bit longer, so you havee that to look forward to! Enjoy! _

**After Graduation: Chapter 9**

After a while of enjoying the moon pool, the realized it was probably time to head back to the mainland. They had been gone for some time already and the boys were probably worried about them.

When they resurfaced at Wills boathouse, they found the two boys fast asleep on the ground, as if they had fallen asleep waiting for them. It was adorable. When when Emma looked at her watch, she found out it was 3 o'clock in the morning! No wonder they were asleep! They all headed back to Emma's to get some sleep themselves. They managed to get in without waking her parents, and soon enough they were all fast asleep.

They were woken up early the following morning by the ringing of a cellphone. Cleo answered her phone. "Hello? She said wondering who would call her this early in the morning, since she was still half asleep, she hadn't looked at the caller ID. Of course it was Lewis calling to check on them. They had completely forgotten that they had been asleep when they came back and that they obviously would be worried about what had happened. After Cleo assured him that they were fine, that they had not been moon struck and that they had not defeated some evil enemy, and after Bella told Will basically the same thing, they agreed they would meet up that afternoon to explain everything. The girls slept for another few hours, considering they did not get much sleep the previous night.

Later that same day they were all sitting in Bella's garden, since her parents were out. The girls were now well rested, and fully awake, in contrast to that morning. Even though Lewis and Will had spoken to their girlfriends a few hours earlier, they had still been worried, about them, and they weren't sure until they saw with their own eyes that they were safe. They couldn't believe it when the mermaids told them about what had happened. Therefore they decided to head out to mako and see for themselves. The girls told them they would see them there.

The girls obviously got there a lot quicker, so by the time Lewis and Will got there, they were chatting away at one thing or another. Lewis, who knew the cave whole lot better than Will did, immediately noticed the differences, but soon enough Will knew what was going on too. Not only did the cave look the same, also the feeling he had had from the first time he had been there was back. The magic was back.


	10. Chapter 10

_Authors note: here is a taste of what is about to come, enjoy it! (p.s. i know that in the first chapter of the story i said that Lewis was going to Melbourn, but I changed it to Brisbane because it makes more sense geographically and i didn't want him to be too far away...)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 10**

The rest of the summer passed quickly, in a similar manor they had spent the weeks before the full moon. The only real significant event was the return of Ash, who had spent the past year at university, but had decided it wasnt his thing. He had returned to his old job at the horse stables.

Soon summer was over and it was time to return to real life.

Lewis was of course going to Brisbane to the Institute of Biology there.

Emma, despite the fact that she finished her last year doing it long distance, and every now and then sitting in on classes in some of the places she visited, graduated with top grades. That of course meant she got in to Brisbane University, where she had decided to study literature and journalism.

Balla had gotten into a music program at the local university, and Will was also going to take a few courses there while also working on his diving skills.

Cleo had decided to take a year off before continuing her education. She couldn't decide what she wanted to study. It varied every day. Also there was a problem with the money, as her fathers business wasn't going so well. So instead she would spend the year working full time at the marine park and figuring out what she wanted to do.

Rikki, who didn't have the grades, nor the money to go to university, had found a job as an assistant at a local business. The only reason they hired her was because of her experiences with Rikki's Café.

As the time that they would split up drew nearer, the tension within the group grew. They treasured every moment they had together. It was especially hard for Lewis, Emma and Asch, since they hadn't been back very long.


	11. Chapter 11

_Authors Note: Here is a nice long chapter for you, in this chapter everything takes place at approximately the same time, but focuses on the separate characters. Thanks Spitfire303, I'll remember that next time :) thanks to everyone else that reviewed! Enjoy the chapter :)_

**After Graduation: Chapter 11**

After a 1 hour car ride they finally arrived at the institute. It was a large white building. "This is it!" Lewis said as they walked through the entrance towards the reception. There they had to wait for a while as the receptionist was busy. They looked around taking it all in. They noticed they were probably among the youngest there, as this wasn't the place for new high school graduates. Most of the others there were in their mid twenties or older. They had been told Lewis's supervisor would be with them soon. As they waited they were joined by another pair, a girl and a boy who were around their age too. The girl was quite tall with straight blond hair that ended halfway down her back, and the boy was tall with longish light brown hair. Before they could say anything an older women approached the 4.

"Lewis McCartny, Elizabeth James?" the woman asked. Lewis and the other girl nodded in response. She shook their hands and introduced herself as Mary Owen, but that they should call her and that she would be their supervisor.

After a short conversation they found out that the two of them were the only ones attending the program at this particular Institute. She explained that she would first take them to their rooms to get settled in and then give them a little time to get to know each other, before doing a tour of the institute after lunch.

They headed over to a smaller building next to the institute. Inside there were several rooms that were for researchers to stay in while at the Institute. Those who worked there permanently of course had a home somewhere in Brisbane, but many just stayed for a couple of months, and weren't bothered to find a place of their own. Since Lewis and Elizabeth were part of a program, they would of course each get a room there too. Each room had a bed, a desk and chair and a wardrobe, as well as a nightstand and a few lamps. There was also a adjourning bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. It was all pretty simple, but in good condition.

In the building there were about 10 of those rooms. There was also a large common area that included kitchen and seating area.

About half an hour later they were sitting in the common area, chatting away with Elizabeth, who told them to call her Lizzie, and her boyfriend Michael Johnson. They were both from Caboolture, a small town on the opposite side of Brisbane, about 45 minutes away, and she had gotten into the program through her high-school biology teacher who had recognized her talents, and had a contact at the institute who agreed with her. Michael was, like Cleo, there to help his significant other get settled in as he worked at the Caboolture Golf Club. They were just casually getting to know each other better when they realized they had to eat lunch or something before they were meeting at 1 o'clock for the tour. So the four of them headed out to eat.

Meanwhile, not so far away, at the University of Queensland, Emma and Asch were moving in her things into the dorm. They had arrived shortly before lunch as they didn't have the same tight schedule as Cleo and Lewis had, but they were meeting up with them for dinner, and then Ash would drive Cleo and himself back to the Gold Coast.

For the time being though, Emma was stressing over everything, and they had barley gotten there. First she was afraid there had been some mistake as she hadn't graduated like a normal student, then once he was checked in she was scared the room would be bad or something, and now she was stressing over getting everything organized. Ash knew Emma wasn't usually this bad, even though she could be a control freak sometimes, but he assumed it was because of the prospect of change and living on her own that maybe scared her a little.

They were just about the unpack a box of books when another girl came into the room. The girl was short with brown curly hair and glasses on her nose. She was wearing a pair of dark-wash jeans and a floral blouse. She stood there awkwardly looking at them, unsure what to say. Emma decided to make the first move.

"Hi, I'm Emma Gilbert. You must be roommate!" she said as she stood up and took the girls hand.

"I..uh..guess I am.. I'm Rosie Oberfield.." the girl said quietly. It was evident that she was a very shy girl.

"Nice to meet you Rosie, I hope you don't mind that i already chose a side, if it really bothers you we can change." In response Rosie shook her head as to say it was fine. "I'm going to go get my things" she said as she exited her room.

"Poor girl, she seems really shy" Ash casually mentioned after she left. "Yeah, hopefully she will open up more once i get to know her better, she seems sweet though", and then they returned to unpacking the books.

A while later Rosie returned to the room, struggling to pull a large suitcase behind her. Ash, being the gentleman that he is, rushed up to help her.

"Here, let me help you! Oh, and sorry i didn't introduce myself earlier, I'm Ash Dove, Emma's boyfriend", the girl was in minor shock by his actions, but thankful none the less.

"Dont you have anyone to help you?" Emma asked, wondering why such a petite girl was luging her things all by herself.

Rosie shook her head and explained that she was here by herself because she was originally from around Perth and no one was bothered to fly all the way across the country to help her move in. The couple felt bad for her, all alone, so far away from home, so they decided to to help her. They were almost done with Emma's stuff anyway.

In the mean time life went on back at Gold Coast as well. Will and Bella had finished packing up all her things and were heading over to her new home at the dormitories. Her parents weren't leaving for another few weeks, but with classes staring the following week it was time to settle in. The ground were filled with college kids moving in from all over the area.

After they had been to the registration office, they went looking for her dorm-room. It was quite easy to find as the campus wasn't that big. When they entered the room it was clear that her roommate had already moved in. One side of the room was already filled. The bed was already made and the desk was filled with books. There were also still a couple of boxes left on top of the bed. The girl however was nowhere to be seen. Bella and Will just went ahead and started to unpack her things on the other side. When they were done Will left, as his sister wanted something.

Now Bella was just sitting on her bed thinking about how her life was about to change once again. Suddenly a girl entered the room. She was quite tall and skinny with light brown straight hair till about her shoulders. She had green eyes and the biggest smile on her face. When the girl noticed Bella she went to her and introduced herself as Sandra Nelson. The girl was very energetic and exited. She told Bella she was from a small town outside Gold Coast, and that she was very happy she moved here because where she was from was very boring and dull, she was glad she could live in a larger city. Apparently she had just been out checking the extra curricular activities. Bella also introduced herself and the two spent some time talking.

"Hey, since you sort of know the area, do know a good place to go for smoothies or something? I would love to have one right now!" Sandra asked.

"I guess we could go to Rikki's. I have to be there in half an hour anyway." Bella answered as she glanced at her watch.

Fortunately the café was still fairly close, so it didn't take the pair too log to get there.

"Do you work here or something?" Samdra asked as they entered the café.

"Something like that, I sing here with the band a few times a week."

By this time they had reached the counter, where they were met by a redhead, Sophie. Even though Sophie had warmed up to Bella over summer, there was still some tension between them. The two girls acknowledged each other as they ordered, but nothing else was exchanged. Sandra however was oblivious to it all.

They were chatting about their courses and enjoying the smoothies as Nate came up to them.

"Bella! We need to start the performance as soon as possible, Zane threatened to fire us if we don't!"

That was when he noticed Sandra. "Well hello there!" He said to her as he tried to look sexy. Bella had to stifle a laugh.

"Nate, this is my new roommate Sandra, Sandra, this is one of my bandmates Nate"

When she was done, she got up to get ready for the performance, leaving Nate at the table staring at Sandra trying to flirt with her.

'Nate! We have to start!" His bandmates called him several times until two of them came and dragged him to the stage where they were already set up, to start the performance.

Sandra was quite impressed by Bella's and the band's talent, and could clearly see why Bella was going to study music.

After their performance the two headed bak to their dorm, as they had some introduction thing to attend that evening. But before they left, the talked a bit with Nate and the others, and Nate had been hitting on Sandra like crazy.

"Don't worry about Nate, he does that to a lot of girls, he thinks he is some kind of god!" Bella said as they left the café. "I think it was kind of cute " Sandra answered, and all Bella could do was to look at her like she was crazy.

Rikki felt awkward in her new outfit. Since her closet mainly consisted of jeans and teeshirts, Emma had taken her shopping the previous week to get more work appropriate clothes. Rikki was sort of nervous. She wasn't sure of what to expect, and she wondered what the people would be like. Sure, the woman who had interviewed her and given her the job seemed nice enough, but she was still nervous.

The business she was going to work for was a marketing business, where she would be doing assistant work. To start of with it would probably involve a lot of getting people coffee and following orders. That was going to be a challenge, as Rikki didn't particularly like people ordering her around.

Rikki entered the office building and went to the reception. Once she had introduced herself, the woman asked her to wait there. After a few minutes the same woman who had conducted her interview came. "Rikki! It is so nice to see you again, welcome. I will give you a tour of the place, and then I have to do work, so I will hand you over to my secretary who will tell you what to do. The tour only lasted for about 20 minutes. The office was quite small and she only received a brief introduction of all the other employees. Finally she was introduced to the secretary, a young woman who was a about 10 years older than Rikki herself. She was had dark brown long straight hair, and dark eyes. She introduced herself as Erica Gillings. She showed Rikki her desk, it was a small but personal area in one of the corners, on the desk there was a computer that she could use as well as 2 boxes for papers and a telephone. Erica explained that Rikki's job would be to answer the phone when she wasn't available and do some paperwork, as well as doing whatever the other employes would ask her, like picking things up an such.

Rikki felt that she could do that, she felt that this could turn out pretty good. She would just have to get through the first few days first. She sat down at her desk to start her day.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: First of all I want to apologise for how long it took, but i have been on holiday for the past 3 weeks and i didnt bring my laptop. I did do some writing though and here it is :) I just want to say that i do not have any experience with either work or university, and i have no clue how it works in Australia, so it is all based on what in read/seen in other places. Hopefully you wont mind. I know the time seems to go very slow but i need a good set up, as the story goes on time will go faster. Also I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed/subscribed to the story! You guys are awesome! enchantedforest33 thanks for the feedback and now you have given me even more ideas! meg I know they all have brown hair but they have differences in what it looks like, it's because 3 of the main characters are already blond, sorry if it bothers you. Mermaid Lover thanks for the feedback! Okay this was a really long note, sorry about that :( on this the story, enjoy! :) btw i used lines here to separate the different characters, tell me what you think, should i continue using it?_

**After Graduation: Chapter 12**

During the tour of the institute, Cleo and Michael weren't allowed to join as they were not in the program, so instead they sat in the common area and talked. They talked about their lives getting to know each other, and about their work. They got along pretty well.

A few hours later Lewis and Lizzie returned, to the common room. They too had gotten to know each other, as well as the institute better, and were in a very cherry mood, both laughing about some biology joke, they had encountered on the tour. Their significant other just looked at them weirdly when they flopped down on the couch.

"I take it you guys had fun?" Cleo asked them once they had stopped laughing, which sent Lewis in to a long enthusiastic description of everything they had seen and heard about, with Lizzie joining in with side comments. Cleo and Micheal looked at each other and rolled their eyes, clearly this wasn't new for either of them. They knew the two could get carried away when talking about something of their interest, in particular when it was relted to biology.

* * *

Meanwhile Emma, Ash and Rosie were getting to know each other better too. They found out that she had gone to a private boarding school, so she was used to being away from her family, and it was clear she wasn't very close to them. Rosie was going to study chemical engineering, so obviously she was very intelligent. On the other hand she was still very she and awkward.

"So, what are you going to do tonight?" Emma asked her, "Oh I don't know, I'll probably go buy some food and then stay in for a early night, I did fly all the way from Perth today." "Why don't you join us? We are meeting up with some friends, one of whom is also studying here in Brisbane!" Emma suggested, she couldn't bare the thought of leaving her roommate alone the very first nigh. "Eh Emma, I am not sure if you make that suggestion. We should check with Lewis and Cleo first" Ash butted in. Emma thought of this for a minute. "Hmm… I guess you're right, we need to call them anyway to make arrangements."

* * *

At the institute Cleo's phone began ringing. All four of them jumped at the sudden noise. "That's probably Emma, she said she would call about tonight." Cleo realised and went to answer her phone.

The other four continued to chat while Cleo talked to Emma. "Hey Lewis, is it alright if Emma's new roommate joins us for dinner tonight?" Lewis nodded in response and Cleo relayed the good news to Emma. "Yeah, it's fine if she comes" "yeah, we had a pretty good day too" "Hmm…" "They are really nice." "Really? You sure?" "I'm pretty sure they already have plans, but I'll ask" "Hold on a second" Sounded the one side of the conversation. Then she turned to Lizzie and Micheal. "Unless you guys have other plans you are welcome to join us for dinner as well, we are meeting up with two of our friends, and one of them is bringing her roommate?"

"Sorry,but we already have reservations, plus it is sort of a special evening, hope you don't mind!" Lizzie answered while Michael nodded as to confirm it. "It's fine, there will probably be more occasions anyway" Cleo said and returned to tell Emma. They made plans to meet up in an hour and said their goodbyes.

The four teens continued chatting for another half hour until Lizzie realised the had to leave soon if they wanted to make it to their reservation.

As neither Cleo, nor Michael would see the others again any time soon, they took their time saying goodbye to each other.

As Cleo and Lizzie were talking and saying bye, Michael took Lewis aside.

"You seem like a good guy Lewis, I just want to ask you to keep an eye out on her for me. I trust you, and you will see her a lot."

Lewis nodded, "I will try my best, hopefully she won't make the job too hard." He joked. They ended the conversation with a handshake.

Then it was time for them to go, leaving Cleo and Lewis on their own. Since this was the last time they would be only the two of them for a while, they made optimal use of the time.

They were in the middle of a heated make out session when Cleo's phone rang again. They reluctantly separated so she could answer it. When she picked up she was met with the voice of an angry Emma. Apparently they were already waiting for them at the restaurant and wondering where they were. Lewis looked at his watch and realized they were supposed to have met them 15 minutes ago! No wonder Emma was mad at them, being the control freak that she is. They had clearly lost track of time, so they hurried to the restaurant that luckily wasn't too far away.

When they arrived both of them were still flushed and their hair was a mess. Emma couldn't  
be mad at them any longer and just smiled at them knowingly.

They introduced themselves to Rosie, and the 5 of them went into the restaurant. As soon as they had gotten a table both Lewis and Cleo excused themselves to the bathroom, and when they came back a few minutes later they looked much better.

After the five had ordered their food they continued to chat and getting to know Rosie a bit. The girl was quite reluctant at first, overwhelmed with the attention these people were giving her. They seemed genuinely interested in her. She was used to keeping to herself and people ignoring her. Slowly but surely she opened up a bit. She was more and more willing to participate in the conversation.

As the meal ended it was time to say goodbye for some of them. Both Cleo and Ash had to return to Gold Coast while the rest of them were staying in Brisbane. It was a sad and teary goodbye for the two couples. Ash and Lewis promised each other they would look out for each others girls, Lewis giving the second promise of that night. Emma and Cleo also promised one another to keep an eye on the their respective boyfriends. After one last kiss Cleo and Ash climbed into the car and drove off. Even though they would only be an hour away it felt like much more.

Rosie had watched the whole ordeal from a distance, wanting to give them some space. She could feel the close connection the four friends shared and how deeply they all cared for each other. She was glad Emma was her roommate, these were definitely the kind of friends she had always dreamed of and she hoped she would see Cleo and Ash again soon as well as get to meet their other friends they had mentioned at dinner. Hopefully they would accept her into their group.

* * *

That same evening Bella and Sandra were attending the introduction. Will didn't have to be there until the following day as this introduction was only for those living in dorms. They found out about the rules, the activities available and about where to get food amongst other things. They also were put in groups with the ones living in their corridor. They all introduced themselves and played those games you play to get to know one another better.

Bella was used to it. As she had moved so often, each time she came to a new place she would have to introduce herself. This was a bit different though as here there weren't many who already knew each other.

Later Bella headed back to the room. It had been a long exhausting day, and she was ready to crash. Sandra and some of the girls they had talked to were continuing their evening and heading out for drinks. Bella had also been invited, but had declined. She felt she was ready for bed.

* * *

Around the same time Lewis and Lizzie were returning to Cleo and Michael, Rikki was wrapping up her first day at work. Over all it had been a good day. Since it was her first day they didn't make her do anything too hard. She had brought around coffee to employees as well as a client. Everything had gone smoothly except for an unfortunate incident with the coffee maker. Erica had laughed and told her it was fine. Apparently it wasn't the first time it had happened. Also they had her make photocopies, and bring some post to the postoffice down the road. Nothing too difficult so far. It had been testing for her patience though as there had been periods when she didn't have anything to do. Still she had a good feeling about this. It was what she needed. A fresh break. Not from her. Friends or anything, but she felt she needed a new environment where no one really knew her, and most importantly, a place where Zane wouldn't bother her. Although he finally seemed to have gotten the message. Also she had seen what they were doing here, and she found it quite interesting. She had done some marketing for the Café back in the day, but that was nothing compared to the work they were doing. She hoped she would learn more about it as time went on.

After she had packed up she headed home. Even though she still lived with her father, and would continue to do so for a while, she longed for her own place. She was after all 18 years old and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. After her mother had left them and taken her sister with her, Rikki had been forced to step up. She, nor her father had never been great with household chores, but someone had to do it and her father was absolutely hopeless. Also she had learnt plenty about economy and management while running the café, so she felt she was ready. Also she needed some personal space. She loved her father to bits, but living with him in a trailer on such a close proximity was causing them to invade one another's privacy. It was frustrating for both of them, especially Rikki as she has such a big secret to keep. However, there wasn't much they could do about it.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry its been so long again...this time i don't really have an excuse except that i havent really been inspired to write.. anyway...I finally got this chapter up :) This and the next few chapters will focus on individual characters lives around roughly the same time period. There will also obviously be interactions between characters too Some of them are going to be more eventful than others, some may even have 2 chapters...not sure yet..first up is Cleo! Now enjoy the chapter!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 13**

Cleo was missing Lewis and Emma terribly, although it wasn't that bad. She had survived some time without them the previous year. But then she had school to focus all the attention on and Bella and Rikki to keep her company. Now things were a bit different. Instead of going to school she was now working full-time at the marine park, hosting a couple of shows a day with Ronnie and when they weren't performing, she was teaching him new tricks and practicing, as well as taking well care of him. Cleo was amazed at how well she was keeping her secret considering it involved loads of water. She had to be more and more careful now that she was basically working full-time. Being a mermaid did have its advantages though, for one she found it very easy to communicate with Ronnie and the other dolphins, she had a way of understanding them better, especially when she goes in the water with them. This she doesn't do very often though. She only did it when she was absolutely certain that there was no chance what so ever that anyone would be able to see her, and she sometimes even then had someone stand guard for her. The other advantage of being a mermaid on this job was that it made clean-up so much easier. She could just move the water to where she wanted it, splash it (from a good distance) over the mess, then just move it back, with out putting in any effort. Although this wasn't something she could always do, but it was still useful.

As both Rikki and Bella were busy with their own lives, working and going to school respectively, they didn't have much time for Cleo. This made her feel a little lonely, when she wasn't at the marine park, she didnt know what to do with the time on her hands. Thats why she was spending more and more time there, even when she didn't have to work. Her boss didn't mind much, there was always need for an extra pair of hands somewhere, whether it was selling ice-cream, handing our flyers or cleaning fish. Cleo took every opportunity she had, although she didn't like the last one particularly much. It did keep her occupied though.

Even though they were all leading separate lives, they still made time for one another. Cleo made sure to come see Bella sing every now and then, after which they would catch up over a smoothie, while they saw Rikki regularly in other places, as she was still determined to avoid Zane at all costs. They also had scheduled swims every week, when they would swim out to Mako and just enjoy each others company and explore the underwater world together. Sometimes, when she had time, Emma would swim down from Brisbane and join them. Those were always the best times. Also she had regular online 'dates' with Lewis, when they would spend hours talking about this or that, or simply just enjoying each others company.

Only a month after having said goodbye to Lewis and Emma, Cleo's boss approached her. He had been impressed by her work and dedication, so he had made the decision to offer her a promotion. As she had such good hand with the dolphins he wanted to give her the position as head dolphin trainer, as well as manager of the dolphin centre. This was a huge deal for Cleo, she was amazed that her boss trusted her with so much responsibility. She gladly accepted the job and couldn't wait to tell everyone. First she obviously told her father, Sam and Kim. Her father was of corse very proud of her, he knew how hard she had worked. At the same time he was worried about his daughter taking on such huge responsibility. Sam was very happy for her, while Kim just rolled her eyes and said that Cleo then finally could move out so she could get the bathroom for herself. This earned her a stern look from their father and a reassurance that Cleo was welcome to stay as long as she needed.

The next day she called a meeting at Mako, which Rikki; Bella and Will attended, to tell them the news. They all cheered for her and congratulated her again and again.

Later that night Cleo had a Skype-date with Lewis, and when she told him, he couldn't be happier for her, she had clearly found her place. His only regret was that he couldn't be there to celebrate it with her. He called Emma over so Cleo could tell her in person as well, and her best friend was so excited for her.

Cleo was happy with where her life was going. She had found something she enjoyed and was good at, and even though she missed her friends, she knew they would always be there for her, which made it a little easier to bare.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's note: Hey again... sorry that it has been forever... i have been on holiday and stuff, thats not really an excuse though :( i have been writing though so you'll get a few more chapters within the next couple of days... although not tomorrow or the day after as i will be away with school... anyway here is the next chapter with a focus on Emma, its pretty short and not very interesting but just bear with me.. hope you still enjoy it!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 14**

Emma was settling into university life just fine. She liked having a regular schedule. Even though she had loved traveling the world, there were way too many surprises and random changes for her liking. She preferred a life with regularity, where she had most of the control. She loved all her classes and found them interesting and challenging. Emma loved challenges; she really felt she was learning something.

Life in general was treating her well, she loved all her professors and her roommate was easy to live with. Rosie was a real sweetheart, but also really shy. She mostly kept to herself, as if not wanting to bother Emma. It was nice considering it made it easier for Emma to keep her secret, well, a secret. However, Emma felt sorry for the girl, and often tried to engage in conversation and inviting her to do things together. She quickly found out that Rosie hadn't had a very easy time growing up, which was what had made her the way she was, but as time went on, Emma earned her trust and Rosie was slowly coming out of her shell.

Besides Rosie, Emma also made a couple of other friend. They were mostly girls who lived in the same corridor or who were in some of her classes. She also enjoyed their company, going out for drinks or shopping, or studying together. Emma felt good with these friends around her. Growing up she mostly only had Cleo and people from the swim team, as swimming took up such a large part of her life, and after that she only had her close knit of mermaid friends and the close people around them. Then when she was traveling the world, she basically only had her family to rely on as they moved from place to place so fast they never really had a chance to make new friends everywhere they went. That's why she felt good having a whole group f friends now. However, there was no way in hell they could replace her true friends back at the Gold Coast. She obviously missed them, especially Ash, but being a mermaid she sometimes swam down there to see them, although her time and excuses were limited. She did get to see Lewis quite regularly though, as they were not very far from one another. She was glad, because after all, she had known him almost as long as she had known Cleo, and she felt safe knowing that there was someone who knew about her secret. Just in case.


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: here is the next one.. i realised they are all pretty short.. but whatever, I'll probably so this background setting for all of them before I create more drama...on that note, I want to make one of the new characters a mermaid, and i want your opinion on who, or create a new separate character for that all together.. so please leave a review or send me a message on what you think... Enjoy the chapter!_

**After Graduation: CHapter 15**

Lewis was loving studying at the Institute of Biology. He had loved it when he was in the US as well, but he had felt it was just too far away. Here he was a reasonable distance from his friends and family, and especially Cleo. Also he felt much more at home in Brisbane as it was quite similar to where he grew up.

Apart from having lessons from Mrs. Owen and some of the other professors at the institute, they also had a chance to shadow other researchers (if they had permission) as well as conducting their own research (within reason of course). As time passed they were trusted with more and more equipment, which gave them more freedom. Lewis was continuing his research on the mermaids. He used samples he had previously collected, but was much more careful. He had learnt from the Denman ordeal that one little mistake can have a huge impact. To make sure no nosey scientist would find any of his research, he even had a cover-up project. He worked in much secrecy, making sure there was no one around, leaving nothing out for someone to find, and not telling a single person. It wasn't that hard, as many of the researchers were quite secretive as well. They usually didn't want to share their findings, so if it was something important, no one else could take credit for it. This suited Lewis fine.

Lizzie and Lewis quickly became friend, that wasn't very had considering that they were the only two around their age at the Institute. Lewis found Lizzie very easy to get along with. She was cheerful and open. She liked talking about anything and everything, and they shared multiple interests. She was quite different to the other girls Lewis knew. Cleo was cheerful but shy, Emma was quite shy as well, and very organized and responsible. Rikki on the other hand was not shy at all, but she was reserved and fierce. Lizzie was the most like Bella personality wise, Lewis had decided. Not that it really mattered; everyone was his or her own person.

Lewis and Lizzie also connected over being separated from their significant other. Both of them had grown up with them as their best friend, which had later developed into something more. Lewis had already been away from Cleo for a while the previous year, but it was still difficult for him, and for Lizzie this was a totally new experience. They were glad that they had each other to confide in as they were going through the same thing and therefore knew exactly how the other felt.

They did sometimes go out to meet other people. Both of them knew a couple of people from their hometowns that were studying in the area. Lewis of course knew Emma, but he had also found out that there were a couple of other people from their school that were also studying in Brisbane, the same went for Lizzie. However, apart from Emma, there was no one they had ever been really close to. Still, it gave them a chance to meet other people their age and get a taste of the university life. Neither of them were huge partiers, but they still enjoyed others company every once in a while, seeing as they were usually stuck with a bunch of scientists.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! I feel sorta bad because i already had this chapter written a long time ago, but i never got around to uploading it...anyway, its here now so thats what counts. As for the future, im in my last year of high school, and we all know what thats like, so i will have less time to write.. we will see how often it gets updated i guess...thanks for everyone who has reviewed and answered the question i asked in the last chapter, even though i would like a few more :) also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favourite/alerts, it really means a lot! Now on with the story! This time it's about someone you probably weren't expecting..Enjoy!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 16**

Sophie was unhappy. She was glad that the Cafe had managed to somehow get out of going broke, but she was still unhappy. Now working just as a regular waitress, she couldn't be as close to Zane as she would have liked. Also she thought it would be easy to snag him once Rikki was out of the picture. That clearly wasn't true, they guy was stubborn, even after Rikki had made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with him any longer. It had been 4 months for gods sake! She didn't know what to do anymore. At least her brother was happy, that was something she was glad about. Will had always been priority number one for her ever since they were little kids. With their family always traveling around, the two siblings could mostly only rely on each other. She was the one who had gotten Will into diving, and had trained him to be so good. A year ago she had hoped he would go professional, but that clearly wasn't what Will wanted. He dove because he liked it, and he did it as a hobby. He wasn't really the competitive type. He seemed happy now, taking courses at the local university with his girlfriend Bella. Initially Sophie hadn't liked Bella very much, and she had done everything in her power to not get the two of them together. She had told herself (and Will) that she though Bella would be a distraction and keep Will from achieving things, but deep down she knew this wasn't the entire truth. The real reason was that she didn't want to lose her little brother, who had always been dependent of her. She didn't want any other girl to be there for him instead of her. She just didn't want him to grow up just yet. She had come to her senses when she realized how happy Bella made him, and that was the most important part. Once Sophie had gotten past seeing Bella as a threat, she found that Bella really was a sweet girl, and totally right for her brother. There was still some hostility between them though, partly because of what happened in the past, but also what she had done to her best friend Rikki, so she would be able to get Zane.

Lately she had been thinking, why was she actually so desperate to have Zane? When they were new in town she had heard someone talk about a young rich man who owned s cafe, and that had immediately sparked her interest. Maybe he would be the key out of their financial troubles. Once she had actually met the guy, she had felt attracted to him. He was quite good looking and incredibly charming. Of course she had thrown herself completely at him, despite the fact that he had a girlfriend. He had completely ignored all her attempts, and it was clear that she would achieve nothing with her in the picture. Then she changed tactics. Her goal was to break Zane and Rikki up, and at the same time win over Zane for herself. She had partially succeeded. She did break them up when she kissed Zane, even though Sophie had no idea how Rikki found out. However, the break-up was hard on Zane, and instead of turning his attention on Sophie, he fought hard to win Rikki back, and even when it was clearly over, he still wouldn't give up. He even refused to rename the Cafe. Sophie was starting to lose interest. Zane would still be a great catch, but the initial attraction was completely gone. Anyway, who wanted a guy who would mope around for so long after his ex-girlfriend? It was obvious Zane didn't want anyone else, and her plan B, which was to become a partner in the Cafe, wasn't working out either, so Sophie thought it was time for something new. She didn't know what yet, but she was sure she could find something.


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's note: Hi there people! i know it has been forever, but school is as busy as it can possibly be! I'm in my last year and I am doing the IB, which has an insane amount of work, so that is my priority right now. Therefore i cannot safely say when the next chapter will be up...although i have a holiday in a few weeks so maybe then. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, i appreciate it! For now enjoy this chapter!_

**After Graduation: Chapter 17**

Bella and Will were doing pretty well in university too. Bella had said goodbye to her familywho were heading for yet another part of the world, this time Brazil, only a week after classes had started, and it had been rough staying behind. She was used to moving around and leaving everything behind, but the one thing that was always there was her family. She was used to depending on them. It was strange staying behind, while the rest of her family was halfway across the globe. Thankfully she still had Will, Cleo and Rikki nearby, which made it a little bit more bearable. Sandra also made things better. That girl was like a ball of energy. Bella had no clue how Sandra kept it up. She always had new ideas for things they could do; join a random club, go meet people in odd places, or other strange ideas of her own that she wanted to try, and often dragged Bella into. One example was when she had thought of the genius idea for them to take a cooking class together. Of course, being who she is, it wasn't just any old cooking class; this one was all about traditional aboriginal food. It was an interesting experience to say the least. The class had involved not only cooking the food, but also trying some other dishes that had previously been prepared by the instructor, who was and old aboriginal lady who had moved to Gold Coast many years ago. While the dishes they cooked were fairly normal, some type of fish that was seasoned and then baked in leafs over an open fire, and the preparation of a certain vegetable that was boiled and then mashed, the dishes they got to try were certainly different. Although most of it tasted good, they wish they hadn't asked their instructor what it was. The ingredients included things that they never thought they would ever eat in their whole life. Even Bella, who had lived all over the world, had never eaten such strange things. After that she made Sandra promise she would never drag Bella with her on an activity again before letting her check it out properly first. This was a smart idea as it made it easier to avoid water related activities, without having to come up with an excuse last minute. Bella was surprised that her secret hadn't been revealed to Sandra yet, with them spending so much time together. She didn't even seem suspicious to if Bella was hiding something.

When Bella wasn't in class or with Sandra she was with Will, unless Rikki and Cleo were both free as well. Will was doing well, he was enjoying the courses he was taking on History and philosophy. Also he had found work as an assistant at a diving course. They were always in need for an extra pair of hands to help with the equipment or supervise the students. Will loved it, he was getting paid for doing what he loved and he got to share his passion with other people as well. It was far better than competing since the only one he had to compete with was himself. He was also glad he wasn't getting so much pressure of his sister any longer. She was the one who had always pushed him to do better so he could compete. Sure he loved diving and all, but it was something he liked to do for fun. He never wanted to do it competitively, but just enjoyed being in the water and taking it easy.

Sometimes they went on double date with Sandra and Nate. Yes, Sandra and Nate. After they had flirted with each other that first day, they had continued to do so every time they saw each other, which was basically every time Sandra accompanied Bella to Rikki's for her performances. One day Nate finally got the courage to ask her on a date. Nate was not his usual self when he was with Sandra. All his self-confidence seemed to have blown away and he had transformed into a softie who clearly only had eyes for her. Bella thought it was quite adorable to watch. The two of them were so perfect for each other. They were both a little bit crazy, and had an interesting view on the world that they both shared. Even though she hadn't known Sandra for long, and she couldn't say she knew Nate well either, she was happy that they had found someone who they could be themselves with. Sandra was also doing the rest of the girls on the Gold Coast a favour by keeping Nate away from them.


End file.
